You're likely to get an eyeful during those nights of channel surfing. It has attracted a legion of fans. The violence makes others wince. Some have even referred to it as human cockfighting.

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By Tracy Baxter

recordonline.com

By Tracy Baxter

Posted Apr. 16, 2013 at 2:00 AM

By Tracy Baxter

Posted Apr. 16, 2013 at 2:00 AM

» Social News

You're likely to get an eyeful during those nights of channel surfing. It has attracted a legion of fans. The violence makes others wince. Some have even referred to it as human cockfighting.

Love it or loathe it, cage fighting has become one of television's fastest growing sports properties. And while detractors try to keep a long-standing state ban in place, promoters are preparing to go another round with state lawmakers in a battle to get professional mixed martial arts legalized here in New York.

The bouts — which originate in other states — conjure up visions of ancient gladiators locked in combat. MMA fighters meet up inside a steel cage. Fists fly. Kicks land. Choke holds get applied. Blood flows. People cheer. And those who see dollar signs in the middle of all this believe it's time New York hopped on the bandwagon by officially sanctioning the sport.

The battle that really counts is the one being waged outside the cage and inside Albany, a place with its own history of knock-down, drag-out fights. The Senate is already on board, with members having voted again this year to overturn the ban and allow the state Athletic Commission to regulate the action.

It's a different story in the Assembly, where past legislation has been blocked amid cries the fights are barbaric and public displays of cruelty that set a poor example for our kids. But Speaker Sheldon Silver now says he might be willing to move this year's bill forward. Supporters are hoping for approval before the legislative session ends in June.

For reasons difficult to fathom, it is legal to stage amateur cage fights in New York even though professional-level bouts are banned. MMA boosters relish these opportunities to showcase the sport and rally support for their cause.

Mixed martial arts fans in our part of the state won't need a TV remote to watch a live fight-night next month. They need only cross the border into Pennsylvania, where they can take in the action at TriState Cage Fight featuring a combination of professional and amateur matches. The event — May 4 at the Best Western Inn in Westfall Township, Pa. — will be the first in a series of scheduled cage fights to be held in Pike County. It's safe to assume plenty of vehicles in the parking lot will have New York license plates.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo recently asked MMA promoters to make their case. He will want them to present revenue projections to show how a sport that has proven to be a lucrative enterprise elsewhere could benefit the state's struggling economy.

It's probably no longer a question of if, but when. Most other states have legalized professional cage fighting because there's money to be made. And we all know Albany could probably find ways to spend its share.

Reach Tracy Baxter at tbaxter@hvc.rr.com and see his NewsWatch program and online blog at recordonline.com